/dq/media/agency_attachments/UPxQAOdkwhCk8EYzqyvs.png)
Follow UsWhat can you as a commoner do when you are held helpless by innumerable
strikes like the recent one by rickshawallas and taxiwallas. At the
end, what happened - their pleas got answered and commuters had to bear
the brunt of it. With this the cabbies and rickshawallas may hold their
heads high with the latest shot in the arm even as their errant
behaviour, a never ending list continues to bog commuters. Many even
would like to vent their anger against such drivers but do not know
how. But, recently three advertisement professionals from ammchi Mumbai
have given a new twist to the old tale.
Jaidev Rupani, Rachna Brar and Abhilash Krishnan together started Meter
Jam, an
campaign to whip a lash against the malpractices of auto and taxi
drivers. This was more than a mode of teaching a lesson to errant auto
and taxi drivers who charge exorbitant fares by tampering meters or
refuse to ply for short distances but also a measure of creating public
awareness.
Meter Jam
Meter Jam was developed as a website and interconnected to a fan page.
Even other modes of social media like Facebook,
etc, witnessed an active participation. There were 25,000-30,000
followers on
while not to remain behind, 50,000-60,000 E-mails were sent. Meanwhile,
the website recorded more than 40,000 registrations, a record count
indeed! The campaign was also a resounding success on twitter, too. SMS
mode, though a late entrant also proved to be an effective mode.
Initial Stages
It all started as a humble appeal to Mumbaikars through Internet to
refrain from using taxis and autos on August 12, 2010. The campaign was
originally put to place for the people of Mumbai city, but its impact
has spread among people of other cities too.
Explaining the early days of the campaign, Krishnan, an interactive
design consultant, says, We had started this initiative on a small
note by sending invites to friends asking them to be a part of the
campaign, as we had not thought of targeting the masses. However, the
campaign gained popularity as this problem is faced by everybody.
Elaborating further, Krishnan says, We gave a platform to the people,
so that we can find some solution to the problem. Because just sitting
and talking about it will not help to solve it.
Responses Galore
The response that this initiative received was tremendous especially
from office going population and college goers. But there were some
rare enthusiastic supporters too even in the age group of 65-70 years.
Supporters of this campaign refused to use cabs and rickshaws and also
were seen sporting badges and car pooling to ensure its success. There
were T-shirts specially prepared with the logo of the campaign for the
day. Whereas socities put up notices requesting member to support the
initiative, informs Kannan.
Approximately over 30,000 Mumbaikars refused to take autos and taxis as
a mark of protest, which led to even the RTO cranking up its machinery
to crack down on tampered meters and doctored fare cards, the other two
problems highlighted by the Meter Jam campaign. The traffic cops have
booked and fined 362 auto and taxi drivers for refusing short fares in
a short span of the strike (read August 12 and 13, 2010). That is 181
cases a day, a seven-fold increase from the daily average of 20-25 such
cases. But the best possible outcome of this initiative could be
accounted as the response of Home Minister of Maharashtra, R R Patil
inviting the three conceptualizers of the project for a meeting. They
have been requested to prepare a report on the grievances of commuters,
on which he would take further action.
For the future, Kannan says, We would surely like to chalk out plans
to highlight other problems just like this initiative.
On a Final Note
IT may have changed the way many departments of the government
function, brought banks in sync with time, but it has now donned a new
avatar a mode of protest for the common man. And, if this protest is
some measure to go by then it is an indication of many jams that are in
store for bringing about a change.
Meter Jam, for a Change
New Update